Founder
Patrick A. Samaha
CONFIRM: name form
CEO & Managing Partner
Patrick is a senior advisor with 15+ years of experience working with governments across the GCC and wider Middle East. CONFIRM: years of experience He specialises in government strategy, institutional design, and large-scale transformation, translating policy intent into actionable strategies, governance models, and executable operating frameworks.
Placeholder: reviewCarried over from the current site; review against the new positioning (e.g. ‘AI-powered’ wording; regional references now say ‘the GCC’).
01 — Areas of expertise
Areas of expertise
National & sector strategy
- Designed 5-year national strategies aligned to long-term visions and measurable sector priorities
- Built national frameworks for talent incentivisation, SME development, and civil society formalisation
- Developed market development and sector growth strategies to attract domestic and foreign investment
- Supported GCC governments in translating Vision-level ambitions into phased, executable roadmaps
Institutional design & governance
- Redesigned operating models for large ministries and public entities spanning 20+ affiliated bodies
- Clarified institutional mandates, decision rights, accountability structures, and coordination mechanisms
- Stood up new government institutions and sector bodies with full governance and performance frameworks
- Led Center of Government reform programs requiring coordination across multiple regulators and delivery entities
Policy, regulation & governance frameworks
- Drafted national policy suites spanning licensing, development, and sector regulation (10+ policies)
- Translated regulatory intent into executable strategies, incentive structures, and operating models
- Designed governance architectures for sectors that had outgrown existing regulatory frameworks
- Supported public–private coordination models in complex, multi-stakeholder regulatory environments
Financial sustainability & operating performance
- Developed alternative funding models and business cases for donor-reliant public institutions
- Delivered cost optimisation and operational excellence programs for cultural and public sector organisations
- Identified diversified revenue streams and financial sustainability strategies for government-funded entities
- Led IT transformation programs identifying USD 80M+ in synergies for a major GCC bank merger
02 — Career
Career
2026 – Present
Stormwind Consulting
CEO & Managing Partner
Partner-led advisory delivering Tier-1 strategy and AI-powered execution directly to governments, public institutions, and private sector clients across the GCC, from strategy design through on-the-ground implementation.
2019 – 2025
Kearney MEA
Former Equity Partner and platform leader, Government & Economic Development
Advised governments across Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE on national strategy, sector transformation, and institutional design. Contributed to the Center of Government practice on socio-economic development programs.
2015 – 2019
Bain & Company MEA
Senior Manager CONFIRM: Bain title
Advised government and financial-sector clients across the GCC on national and sector strategies, economic policy reform, capital market transformation, and digital and IT transformation programs.
2012 – 2014
Emirates NBD
Lean & Transformation Manager
Led the IT Transformation Department across a 25-person team, delivering technology, operations, and efficiency programs that achieved USD 50M+ in savings. Recipient of the Emirates NBD GEM Award.
2010 – 2012
Strategy& (Booz & Company)
Consultant
Advised government clients across the GCC on national education strategy, labour market reform, and capital infrastructure development.
03 — Education
Education
- MBAINSEAD (Singapore & France)2014–2015
- B.Eng. Industrial EngineeringConcordia University, Montréal2004–2010
Languages
Arabic · French · English · Spanish
04 — Publications
Selected publications
- How GCC states can preserve their cultural heritageArab News, 2021
- The need to unlock the potential of culture and arts in the GCCArab News, 2023
- Preserving the Past, Building the Future: KSA's heritage and business synergyArab News, 2024
- KSA's high-end dining scene fuels culinary and cultural revivalArab News, 2025
- Speaker: Saudi Business and Investment SummitGulf Business, 2025
Contact
Work with Patrick
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